Kaytranada
Kaytranada & Aminé Enlist Pharrell for ‘4EVA’ Single
KaytrAminé, coming soon.
Kaytranada And Aminé Prove They’re In This ‘4Eva’ By Sharing The First Single From Their Joint Album
Earlier this week, Kaytranada and Aminé announced that they’d be joining forces as the fitting “Kaytraminé” for a new project “coming soon,” as shared on social media. It appears fans are now getting the first glimpse of their collaborative style, as they dropped their first single, “4Eva.”
Featuring co-production by none other than Pharrell, the insanely-danceable track features addictive loops from the producer on the chorus and outro, as well as some creative verses from Aminé.
“Comment tu t’appelles? Je m’appelle Aminé (Shee) / I’m starin’ at your eyes but you starin’ at my lips (True) / You talkin’ ’bout your momma but you thinkin’ ’bout my d*ck (True) / I catch on these nuances and assists,” he raps.
As someone who was familiar with Aminé from his Good For You era and was introduced to Kaytranada at a festival last year, “4Eva” never seems to miss a single step — perfect for making even longtime fans all the more excited.
This is just the start for the duo, as they’ve also officially announced that an album, self-titled off their joint name, will be dropping in May.
KAYTRAMINÉ BY KAYTRAMINÉ, coming soon pic.twitter.com/UOkunwkMit
— Aminé (@heyamine) April 4, 2023
The two have been gearing up for this for quite a while, working together on a handful of other projects. Back in 2014, Aminé dropped a remix, putting his own spin on Kaytranada’s “At All.” He also went on to produce several songs on Aminé’s 2015 mixtape.
Check out Kaytranada and Aminé’s “4Eva” above.
Aminé & Kaytranada Announce Collab Album “Kaytraminé”
Rapper Aminé and Grammy-winning producer Kaytranada have announced a brand new collaborative project. The rapper took to Instagram to announce the collab through a teaser video. The video didn’t show much, but users are already going wild in the comments. It’s unclear if the project will be a single, an album, a mixtape, or something in between. Since neither artist has released a project since 2021, fans have been waiting a long time for new material. Both Aminé and Kaytranada have some extremely impressive collabs on their resumes, so it should be interesting to see how this one stacks up.
Aminé was born in Portland, Oregon. The 28-year-old rapper made his debut in 2016 with the song “Caroline.” It peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, which helped him gain notoriety in the industry. Hip-hop, funk, and pop are all elements of Aminé’s music, and he is well known for his clever wordplay and memorable hooks. He has two acclaimed studio albums under his belt: 2017’s Good for You, 2020’s Limbo. In 2021, Aminé self-released an experimental mixtape named TwoPointFive. The “Redmercedes” rapper has also worked with a number of other well-known names in the industry, such as Missy Elliott, Charlie Wilson, and JID.
Kaytranada + Aminé = Kaytraminé
In the video posted to both Aminé and Kaytranada’s Instagram accounts, the duo announced their new name. The video shows a neon orange sampler, on which Kaytranada presses pads. Each pad triggers a syllable, starting with “kay-tra-na-da.” Then, the producer triggers the syllables for Aminé’s name. Finally, he puts them together to create the pair’s name as a duo, Kaytraminé. It’s certainly a creative way to announce a collab.
Fans immediately jumped on the post, commenting about how excited they were about the project. Scrolling through the comments on the video, it’s difficult to find a single negative comment. “I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THIS,” commented one user. “Peak music has returned,” another claimed. Seems like lots of people are looking forward to the collab. What do you think about the news? Are you excited for Kaytraminé? Sound off in the comment section!
Aminé And Kaytranada Will Get Their Funk On As ‘Kaytraminé’ On Their Upcoming Project
Today, in “Yes please, I would like that, right now” news: Aminé and Kaytranada are doing an album together. It’s apparently called, fittingly, Kaytraminé, and this writer is rightly having a bit of a meltdown knowing that it’s “coming soon” and not “already out.” So far, all the information we have is this trailer video, which sees Kaytra manipulating a midi controller with each trigger pad set for a different syllable in each artist’s name. He presses them in order to create their individual names before combining them into the portmanteau. Then, a little clip of music plays and I want it right now, please and thank you.
KAYTRAMINÉ BY KAYTRAMINÉ, coming soon pic.twitter.com/UOkunwkMit
— Aminé (@heyamine) April 4, 2023
It’s the first new project Aminé has announced since the Portland rapper released TwoPointFive back in November 2021. That album was a placeholder mixtape between the release of Limbo and Aminé’s eventual third studio album. Whether this project with Kaytranada will be a side project or that third album remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Kaytranada has been much more visible lately despite his relatively quiet position behind the boards. He’s been producing for a number of rising stars in the industry, including Ravyn Lenae, Joyce Wrice, and PinkPantheress. Additionally, IDK teased a second installment of his Simple joint project with Kaytra in November. There’s plenty to look forward to from the prolific producer, so stay tuned.
Freddie Gibbs Reaches Peak Paranoia In “Zipper Bagz” Music Video
Ever since the release of Bandana, Freddie Gibbs has been coming through with incredibly cinematic visuals. It shouldn’t be as surprising, especially as he gets deeper into his acting bag. In September, the rapper delivered his highly anticipated major label debut, $oul $old $eparately in its entirety. Though the rapper kept rather lowkey until the end of the year, he continues to make major moves, such as his appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon with Anderson .Paak where they performed “Blackest In The Room” and “Feel No Pain.”
Though he hasn’t unloaded many visuals from his latest project, each of the visuals from $$$ has showcased Freddie’s depth as an artist, from his proficiencies as a rapper to his range as an actor. The visual for “Space Rabbit” found Freddie Gibbs on a hilarious trip to a casino where he finds an actual bunny and goes on a debaucherous journey where they crash a wedding, among other things.
Freddie Gibbs Traps Out The Motel In “Zipper Bagz” Music Video
One of the immediate highlights of Freddie Gibbs’ latest body of work is the Kaytranada-produced “Zipper Bagz.” This week, the rapper came through with a stunning new video for the song, which finds him trying to dodge death. The video opens up with a voiceover of a man speaking in Spanish, threatening Gibbs’ life over a significant amount of money. Throughout the visual, the rapper posts in a motel with packs where he peaks through the window and tries not to get killed.
His recent music video is just a brief glimpse into Gibbs’ acting chops. The Gary, IN rapper made his acting debut a few years ago with Down With The King, where he takes on the role of disgruntled rapper Money Merc. The role earned him the title of “Best Actor” from the New York Times, though he also showcased his abilities in Bust Down and later, in 50 Cent’s Power Book IV: Force. While acting might be a priority in his career, he also revealed that he has a few musical projects in the works. Keep your eyes peeled for that.
Kelela Shares New Album “Raven”
Kelela became a certified voice in the R&B scene since emerging. Though she maintains a rather lowkey presence compared to some of her contemporaries, her music truly speaks for itself. The “Washed Away” singer pushed the boundaries with each project. Kelela takes the sounds of traditional R&B and forms them into something of her own with a variety of influences. And while she isn’t the type to release a new project each year, the wait is always worth it. It’s what makes her one of the most unique voices in the R&B space.
In the past year, she built up anticipation for the release of a new project. With singles like “Happy Ending” and “On The Run” (a song she co-produced and includes contributions from Kaytranada and Junglepussy), she left fans eager for the next chapter of her career. She dropped off Take Me Apart in 2017 and basically, left fans waiting for her next project in the six years that followed. Though she dropped a remix project the following year, 2022 was among the first time we’ve heard from her since Take Me A_Part, The Remixes.
Kelela Drops Off “Raven”
The wait is over and Kelela made her triumphant return on Friday morning with her sophomore LP, Raven. Her new project boasts 15 songs in total with a sole feature from RAHRAH GABOR. This time, Kelela expands her sound to incorporate more dance-friendly sounds. It was as evident when she released “Contact” earlier this year. The project also boasts previously released singles like “Enough For Love,” which includes a strong roster of producers, including Asmara, Badsista, Bambii, Florian 
Zeisig, Mocky, and Yo van Lenz.
The project takes a noticeable amount of cues from dance music. However, it’s not a gimmick to hop on the bandwagon of what we’ve seen with Drake and Beyoncé last year. Instead, these sounds allow her to convey a specific vibe – sexy. “I really want to be sexy in a nuanced way,” she told the New York Times this week. “We want our sexy moments to feel one of a kind, that’s why it feels sexy — because you don’t think that it’s run of the mill.” Press play on Raven and sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.
Ella Mai Unveils “Heart On My Sleeve” Deluxe
In 2022, Ella Mai returned with her long-awaited sophomore album, Heart On My Sleeve. The project served as the follow-up to her self-titled debut, which boasted the hit record, “Boo’d Up.” However, Heart On My Sleeve felt more personal and captured a comprehensive glimpse of Ella Mai’s potential. The 15-song project found Ella Mai working with a variety of producers, including Mustard, Boi-1da, and more. Additionally, she also linked up with a handful of other artists, like Roddy Ricch, Lucky Daye, and Latto.
Though the project remains in the rotation, she came back with even more heat with her fans this week. She dropped off the official deluxe edition of Heart On My Sleeve which includes three additional records. “2 O’Clock,” boasts production from Mustard and Kaytranada, who come through with an upbeat bop. Still, Mai’s vulnerability takes center stage.
The re-release of Heart On My Sleeve should certainly leave fans happy. She hasn’t released any new music since she dropped the album. During an interview with HipHopDX, she explained that she took two years to work on Heart On My Sleeve while noting the differences between thai project and her debut.
“I was going into the studio and literally making exactly what I felt like on that day, and that was the first time I kind of was doing that,” she said. “With the process for my debut album, I was going in and kind of just trying to figure it out, but this process, I really was just speaking what was on my mind.”
Shortly after the project dropped, Mary J. Blige, who mentored Mai, praised the state of R&B music right now. “Right now, I love the state of R&B because of people like Ella Mai, Kiana Lede, Summer Walker, H.E.R., Jazmine [Sullivan], SZA, Ari Lennox – it’s so much hotness out there,” Blige said.
Check out the deluxe edition of Ella Mai’s Heart On My Sleeve below.